The conventional card connector shown in Prior Art FIGS. 11A to 11C (see JP2006-40634A) is known to comprise an ejection mechanism.
The card connector 200 shown in Prior Art FIGS. 11A to 11C and Prior Art FIGS. 12A to 12C is installed in the housing (not shown in the figures) of a personal computer or the like, and comprises a connector part 210 into which a card C is inserted. The card connector 200 also comprises a card ejection means 220.
The connector part 210 comprises a housing 211 and a guide arm 212 that is provided on one end of the housing 211 in the direction of length and that protrudes forward.
As is shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the card ejection means 220 comprises a pivoting arm 221 that is disposed in the housing 211 of the connector part 210 in a pivotable manner, a push bar 223 that is movable in the direction of insertion and removal of the card C along the side surface of the guide arm 212, and a push plate 225 that is supported by the push bar 223 in a pivotable manner and that pushes and causes the pivoting arm 221 to pivot during the ejection of the card C.
The pivoting arm 221 is disposed inside the housing 211 in a pivotable manner; this pivoting arm 221 comprises a card contact part (not shown in the figures) that contacts the inserted card C at one end portion of this pivoting arm 221 on the inside of the housing 211, and also comprises a plate contact part 222 that contacts the push part 225b (described later) of the push plate 225 at the other end portion of this pivoting arm 221 on the outside of the housing 211. Furthermore, the pivoting arm 221 is designed to eject the inserted card C toward the removal side by pivoting.
As is shown in FIG. 11B, the push bar 223 is disposed so as to be movable in the direction of insertion and removal of the card C along the outer surface of the guide arm 212. A reinforcing rib 223c extends in the forward-rearward direction in the central portion of the push bar 223. Moreover, a slit 223a is formed to the rear side of the reinforcing rib 223c. A circular hole 223b whose diameter is greater than that of the slit 223a is formed at the front end portion of this slit 223a. A push button 224 for allowing the push operation of the push bar 223 is provided at the front end portion of the push bar 223. A tension spring 228 for constantly pulling the push bar 223 toward the front is provided between the push button 224 and guide arm 212.
As is shown in FIG. 12C, the push plate 225 is disposed along the inside of the push bar 223. An L-shaped supporting part 225a that protrudes outward is formed by bending at the central portion in the forward-rearward direction of the push plate 225. The supporting part 225a enters the circular hole 223b formed in the push bar 223, and the tip end of the supporting part 225a is positioned over the slit 223a of the push bar 223. As a result, the push plate 225 is supported in a pivotable manner with respect to the push bar 223. Furthermore, a push part 225b that contacts the plate contact part 222 of the pivoting arm 221 during the ejection of the card C is formed at the rear end portion of the push plate 225. Moreover, the front end portion of the push plate 225 is slightly inclined inward, and a cam pin 225c with a flange is attached to the tip end of the push plate 225 so as to protrude inward.
A cam groove 226 with which the cam pin 225c mates is formed in the outer surface of the guide arm 212 as shown in FIG. 11B. The cam groove 226 is formed into a heart-shaped loop.
A cam mechanism is constructed from the heart-shaped cam groove 226 formed in the outer surface of the guide arm 212 and the cam pin 225c that mates with this cam groove 226. Then, this cam mechanism makes it impossible to reverse the pulling action of the push bar 223 and push plate 225 toward the front (toward the removal of the card C) and the pressing action of the push bar 223 and push plate 225 toward the rear (toward the insertion of the card C).
Moreover, as is shown in FIG. 12A, a push bar movement restricting plate 227 is attached near the plate contact part 222 of the pivoting arm 221. The push bar movement restricting plate 227 is disposed on the inside of the push plate 225 so as to be movable in the forward-rearward direction. The push bar movement restricting plate 227 comprises a base plate part 227a that extends in the forward-rearward direction. An opening 227b where the pivoting arm 221 enters is formed in the rear portion of the base plate part 227a. Furthermore, an inclined part 227c that is inclined downward obliquely toward the front is formed in the front portion of the base plate part 227a with the width thereof being reduced gradually after being bent inward, and a restricting part 227d is formed facing forward from this inclined part 227c. In addition, the inclined part 227c and restricting part 227d are positioned on the outer surface of the guide arm 212. The restricting part 227d is designed to contact the side surface of the flange of the cam pin 225c when the card C is not in contact with the card contact part of the pivoting arm 221, so that the push plate 225 is prevented from pivoting in the clockwise direction with respect to the push bar.
In the card connector 200, as a result of the push operation of the push bar 223 that has the push button 224, the push plate 225 is pushed to cause the pivoting arm 221 to pivot so that the card C can be ejected.
Furthermore, when the card is inserted into a specified position, as a result of providing the push bar movement restricting plate 227 that restricts the movement of the push bar 223, the push button 224 does not protrude from the housing unless the card C is inserted into the specified position (hereafter referred to as “pop-push mechanism”).
However, in the card connector 200 shown in Prior Art FIGS. 11A to 11C, because the shape of the push bar movement restricting plate 227 for realizing the pop-push mechanism is complicated, there is a problem in that such card connectors 200 are not suitable for mass production.
In the card connector 200, furthermore, because the cam groove 226 is formed in the outer surface of the guide arm 212 of the connector part 210, it is necessary to change the design of the connector part 210 in cases where the disposition of the card ejection means 220 is changed to the opposite side of the housing 211 in the direction of length. Accordingly, the card connector 200 has the problem of difficulty in changing the disposition of the card ejection means 220 with respect to the housing 211 to the opposite side in the direction of length.
Some customers request card connectors with a so-called push-push mechanism that allows the protrusion of the push button from the housing even in a state in which the card C is not inserted into the specified position (hereafter simply referred to as “push-push mechanism”), instead of the pop-push mechanism. With the connector 200, however, it is problematic that various parts must be redesigned in order to realize the requested push-push mechanism.